Somebody That I Used To Know, an inception fanfic

AN: I've been working on this for a few weeks now. I've been a fan of the pair ever since I first saw the move in theaters, but this is my first A&A fic. To start things off slow, this is just a little piece to explore the relationship between Arthur and Ariadne. This has a happy ending! I promise! Please R&R.

Ariadne walked down Rue de Paradis. Her time in Paris was coming to an end, and there were so many places she wanted to see before leaving. She needed to make the most of the time she had left. When she woke up that morning, she decided to go here.

The Rue was short, no more than a few blocks. She turned onto it from the east end, looking at her feet as she progressed. It was a bad habit and it was inhibiting her from her current mission to see the sights. As she passed the first cross-street, she looked up and began to take in all that was around her. There were so many things to admire about this part of Paris. Being a student of architecture, she focused mainly on the houses along the street. They were all superb.

As she walked further her interest also spread to the people around her. They were so chic. That was one thing that Ariadne noticed very quickly when she first came to Paris. The French have a very strong air about them; it was almost as if they oozed confidence. It was unlike anything she had seen before.

After spending nearly 5 full years in France, Ariadne developed a keen radar. She could easily spot a tourist now. There were so many of them out today. They filled the road in front of her, walking slowly to take everything in. Ariadne politely reduced her pace and walked behind a family of four. As she continued with this new gate, she had more time to observe the rest of her surroundings, not just the architecture. She started guessing the nationalities of the people around her.

She had everyone figured out, except one. The group in front of her was American; they were easy enough to spot. The accents and loud voices were dead giveaways. There was a Scottish family across the street walking the other direction. The traditional kilts gave them away. And there was a group of Chinese college students behind her. They were outed when one of the girls answered the phone with, "Nihao." The one she couldn't identify was one that she nearly missed..

She was approaching the end of the road when she saw a man that baffled her. It was a few blocks ahead, so there was no way to be certain. She saw a tall, slender man with slicked back hair dressed in a light colored suit. He could have been French or English, but he fit in too well to be another American. She passed the Americans ahead of her and sped up in order to get a better look at him. There was something about him that seemed familiar. The thought made her stop in her tracks. Something about that man reminded her of Arthur. The simple thought of him made all her memories rush forward.

Now and then I think of when we were together
Like when you said you felt so happy you could die
Told myself that you were right for me
But felt so lonely in your company
But that was love and it's an ache I still remember

They hadn't seen each other since the end of the Fischer mission. She wanted to talk to him about the mission and what happened afterwards, but she'd never had the chance before they went their separate ways. The whole incident had passed so quickly she never had a moment to take hold. Looking back, it felt so long ago she wasn't even sure it all really happened.

They had gone for a bite to eat after the747 landed in Los Angeles. Arthur remembered a restaurant from a previous visit where they decided to eat an early lunch. They sat quietly as they waited for their food, trying to process everything that had just happened. Cobb and Saito were both still on the plane when they left. Neither Arthur nor Ariadne expected them to wake up again. When the fasten seat-belt light clicked off, Ariadne ran off the plane, too overwhelmed to find out if her employer had survived. Arthur soon followed.

He found her standing in the middle of the main walkway of the terminal, blocking people trying to get past. She stood there with a stunned expression on her face trying her best to hold back tears. He looked at her sympathetically; he understood completely. Part of him desperately wanted to reach out and hug her, but he didn't know how she would react. Instead, he asked her if she wanted to get out of there. When she nodded yes, he escorted her to baggage claim and found a taxi.

The cab ride to the restaurant had been so quiet you could hear the gears changing in the engine. The realization that two of their teammates were unconscious, if not dead, was really sinking in. They were both silently worried and grieved for their friends, too. The only comfort they were able to find was that they could share their grief and neither had to go through this alone.

Once lunch was served, they began to break the ice and speak once more. They talked about what they had ordered, discussing which dish was better. They made a few light comments on which ingredients they liked the best. Arthur smiled when she made a comment about not liking tomatoes. It sounded so natural, everything almost felt normal for a second.

As the meal continued, conversation turned to how they should progress from here. "We shouldn't stay in town long," Arthur said. "The police will start looking for the passengers who sat near Saito and Cobb on the plane. They will want to interview them to see if they can help pinpoint what may have … happened to them."

"You think they'll find us? We used fake names."

"They can find our pictures from the Security cameras throughout the airport. They could track us from the gate to baggage claim, see which cab we took, and then easily find the driver to see where we went. In a city this large, the police have enough resources to do just about anything you might've seen on TV. It really depends on the detective who gets assigned to the case, and also on how much time they have between all their other cases…."

"I see." Ariadne never thought about all that. She just assumed that she would walk away from all of this when the job was done, go back to school, get a degree and then join the workforce. Even if this job wasn't exactly legal, she hadn't done anything she could be arrested for. Had she? Were there even laws that covered dream sharing? This wasn't her area of expertise.

Bewildered, she turned to the point-man for advice, and asked, "So what should we do from here?"

"We should leave town as soon as possible. The longer we stay, the more likely the authorities will catch up."

"Okay." She sat quietly once more, pondering her options.

Arthur looked at her from across the table with quizzical look on his face. It was his typical brow raise that indicated his skepticism. She was looking down at her lap, but Arthur could see her deer in headlights face had returned. She was overwhelmed again. "Where will you go?" he asked hoping not to cause her to panic.

"I'm not sure. I don't have any family nearby…" she started.

"It's best not to involve family until things cool down."

"Right." Ariadne nodded. She liked how straightforward he was being about this. She could tell he was giving her an honest evaluation. "Well, I've never been to San Francisco. It's better to hide in a large town, right? And it's not too far away, just one bus ride away."

"People on the bus might recognize you, same as a cab driver might."

She hadn't thought about that. She sat awkwardly for a minute. This was the first time she'd been on the lamb before. Any advice he could provide could be the difference between evading the police and sitting through a police interrogation. Going north was her best idea, and that plan had been quashed rather quickly. She struggled to create a plan B, so she realized the best thing to do now was to ask for the point-man's advice.

When she did, he responded, "Buy a car, something cheap. Pay in cash; then drive to a different state. Dump it once you've crossed state lines, and take a bus or plane from there. Local police won't track a witness across state lines unless it's a high priority case, which this is not."

"Sounds like a good plan to me…." Her voice faltered as she processed this information. She trusted that Arthur's strategy would be the best way, there was just one little hiccup. Arthur looked at her again with one eyebrow raised. This time, she saw him gaze at her, knowing he expected her to say something more. She searched for the right words, her eyes broke away from his and darted around the room as the thought. He spoke again before she was ready.

"If it's such a good plan, then why don't you seem too sure of it?" She really needed to work on her poker-face.

Ariadne looked at him. She had to be honest, even though her dilemma was embarrassing. After a moment, she stammered, "Well … you see … I … I can't drive." It wasn't the most delicate way to expose this secret, but at least she was clear.

She began to blush as she waited for his reaction. She expected him to laugh or make a quick joke. That's what most people did when she had revealed her lack of motoring skills. She looked down to her lap again, then back up at him. That did nothing to ease her awkwardness.

Arthur gaped. He knew there were millions of people who never learned, but he hadn't pegged Ariadne as being one of those people. Hadn't she learned when she was 16 along with everyone else her age?

"Seriously?" he asked. Ariadne nodded.

"The metro in Paris got me wherever I needed to go just fine." She shrugged.

"What about before you were living in Paris? Didn't you learn when you were in high school?" she shook her head. "Why not," he asked.

"There were a lot of reasons for it. But ultimately, it came down to a matter of money. I had a choice between getting a car and going to Paris for college. I chose Paris."

"But then how did you get around town when you were still in the US?"

"I took the bus to school, and my grandparents drove me anywhere else I needed to go."

"You're grandparents?"

"Yes. My parents died when I was really young."

You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness
Like resignation to the end, always the end
So when we found that we could not make sense
Well you said that we would still be friends
But I'll admit that I was glad it was over

"Mine too." Arthur paused for a moment, quietly remembering how he had thought of Cobb as a role model and father figure when he was younger. But that was too much to think about right now. Fortunately, Ariadne brought him back to their conversation by asking sarcastically, "Knowing that very humiliating fact about me, how do you think I should head out of town now?"

"I can take you," he said without skipping a beat. "We can go together."

She hesitated. Was that a good idea? "I don't want to get in the way," she said politely.

"You wouldn't be, and I don't want to strand you here. We'll cross into Arizona, find an airport, and go our separate ways from there." Ariadne gave him a trying look, but decided not to push the matter any further. She accepted, knowing he was right, once again. This was the most logical and practical way.

Eager to get on the road, they turned back to their food and finished lunch a few minutes later. After paying the bill, they rode in a second taxi to a used car dealership in a bad part of town. Arthur took the lead inspecting the cars as Ariadne watched quietly. She had no skills that could be helpful here, so it was better to stand back and watch.

She observed her counterpart. Arthur was very thorough with his examination. He looked over the tires, and inspected what she thought would have to be the brakes, crouching down to reach the right height for the task. It was so unusual to see a man in a tree-piece-suit moving around so much in the hot California sun. She wondered if Arthur ever felt uncomfortable wearing such nice clothes in such a bad area, too. If so, he never showed it. It was business as usual.

They looked around the lot briefly before a salesman joined them. Arthur ignored all of what the man tried to pitch. He stuck to his guns and found a simple little car for $2,000. It was a ten year old Toyota sedan with faded red paint. It wasn't much to look at, but the engine worked and the tires had a good tread. Arthur signed a few papers and they were off.

The pair drove for nearly three hours until they crossed into Arizona. It was around 5pm when they saw the welcome sign; the sun was setting in the rearview. The highway carried them into a very rural part of the state. There wasn't much off the highway except for the occasional gas station or run-down motel.

Despite sleeping all night on the plane, they were both exhausted. Their down-time hadn't been very restful considering they were attempting to perform inception for the second time known to man. Arthur wanted to drive to Phoenix, but he realized he was too tired to drive another two hours. He needed to rest. He would have asked Ariadne if she had felt the same, but she was already asleep.

About 30 minutes after crossing into Arizona, he came to a small town called Quartzsite. There wasn't much to look at, but there was more here than there had been in the last few hours of driving. Arthur easily found a motel and pulled over.

He parked the car without waking his passenger, walked into the front office and booked a room. When he came back, Ariadne was sitting up, rubbing her eyes trying to adjust to the lights illuminating the parking lot where the car now sat. Arthur didn't need to tell her that they were taking a break. She understood simply by seeing the motel. Without any instruction, she grabbed her things and followed him inside.

She fell to the bed as soon as she walked in. She didn't even take a minute to realize that there was only one bed. Arthur neglected to tell the receptionist that he wasn't alone, so the young woman behind the counter had just given him the first room that was open. Arthur considered saying something, first to the receptionist, then to Ariadne. But he decided against it. Instead, he kicked off his shoes and fell over next to her. Sleeping in a chair would have been the chivalrous thing to do, but he was too damn tired to care at this point.

They had slept next to each other on couches and lawn-chairs as they planned and trained for the Fisher job. However, this was the first time they would be sleeping so near to one other. And now that their job was done, they could no longer use work as an excuse for this proximity.

Arthur looked to her through half-open eyes. Asleep next to him, she looked even more beautiful than he remembered her ever being before. Not only was she beautiful, but she was intelligent and brave. She had proven herself in an incredibly high-stress work environment at very a young age. He had never met such a young woman with so many redeeming qualities. In the short time he'd known her, he'd become very fond of her, maybe even attracted to her.

He thought about the kiss they shared during the mission. Looking back, he would have loved for it to be real. He just couldn't permit himself to show such impropriety when the only time they have to interact is during working hours. He didn't even know if she felt the same about him. If he were to request another kiss, would she still be willing? He hoped so. But if not, how would she react?

Ariadne was the kind of woman who didn't talk about her personal life. And her actions were just as guarded as her words. To his knowledge, she had never done anything that suggested she was interested in him. They hadn't ever really touched, apart from applying the IV and a quick kiss in a dream.

All these thoughts were so new. It was strange to be thinking of her this way. Arthur contemplated what to do next. Now that he'd had these revelations, he felt more strongly than ever that he should be with her. But at the same time, he didn't want to make a move just yet. He wanted to know that she was interested in him before moving forward. In the end, he decided the best course of action would be to act normally. The next day, they would drive the rest of the way to the airport, and nobody would be the wiser that he had gone to sleep thinking of her this way.

He drifted off to sleep shortly thereafter. When he woke, it was around midnight. All these time zone changes had his body confused. Still groggy, he stretched out on his back. As his arms roamed the other side of the bed, he noticed it was rather empty. She was no longer next to him. He panicked briefly. Had she left? Arthur didn't like the idea that she had run off.

He relaxed when he heard the shower running in the motel bathroom. She was just freshening up. Arthur knew he needed to do the same. He hadn't showered since the morning they left Sydney. That was almost 48 hours ago. He tried very hard not to imagine what he must look like in the mirror. His five o'clock shadow was probably turning into a beard by this point.

The water stopped running. When the bathroom door opened, Ariadne exited wrapped in a towel. From the look of things, that was all she had on. The thoughts he'd had a few hours prior resurfaced in an instant. She explained that the bathroom was too steamy to be in there right now. It needed to air out.

Arthur mumbled something that sounded like, "Sure. Do what you need to do." But it came out so garbled he wasn't really sure real words came out of his mouth. Ariadne smiled at him. She quickly crossed the room and sat next to him on the bed.

He tried his best to ignore the fact that she was practically naked, but he couldn't. His mind ran in circles around that little tid-bit. He figured that he should try to remain calm. He didn't want to let on that she was affecting him, so he decided to ignore her as best he could, fixating on the wall across the room. But it was already extremely clear that she had gotten under his skin. He couldn't remember the last time he had mumbled like that, and he now he couldn't even hold her gaze.

Arthur struggled with what to do next, and froze. They now sat only a few inches apart, silently waiting for the other to make the first move.

Sitting beside him like this was infuriating. Ariadne had known the man for months, and she had grown very fond of him. She liked him in more ways than she could count. She too remembered their kiss fondly. She always thought the point-man was handsome, and getting to express some of that was incredible, even if it was highly inappropriate for coworkers currently on a mission in a dream. Right now, she wanted him more than she had ever considered possible.

Seeing him like this, so caught off guard, made him even more attractive. Desire rose. She wanted to show him, so Ariadne decided to take the initiative. She moved closer to him on the bed. She crossed her legs, revealing a bit more of her thigh. Arthur saw but did nothing. He stared at the wall across the room as if it were the most interesting thing on the planet.

Ariadne knew after a few moments that she would have to do more than just drop hints. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, dangerously close to his lips. He turned to her wearing a stunned expression. For the second time in the last few minutes, he was too surprised by her actions to formulate words. He wasn't pushing her away. Ariadne took this as a sign that he wanted to kiss her more, so she leaned in again, claiming his lips this time. Though still shocked, Arthur began to react.

But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough
No you didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records and then change your number
I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know

He moved into the kiss, deepening the sensation. Now that they were locked onto one another, he couldn't control himself anymore. He was like a man who had just downed, and she was his air. He hadn't realized how strong his desires were until this moment.

They toppled onto the bed, Arthur covering her. In the few moments that has passed since he had started kissing her lips, he'd become addicted. They kissed with a desperate need to connect to one another. The towel covering her body began to get in the way, so Arthur removed it, finally gazing onto her. She was even more amazing than he had thought possible.

His hands explored her body. Her skin was soft, and he couldn't seem to get enough of it. As his hands neared her apex, she began to hold her breath, hoping he would rest them there. Frustratingly, Arthur never settled. He wanted to touch as much of her as possible. They were about to go their separate ways, and neither knew when they would be able to meet again. He only had tonight to be with her, so he wanted to savor as much of her as possible.

Ariadne didn't exactly have the same sentiments. She wanted him now. All this teasing was driving her crazy. She wanted to feel skin against skin. Why was he touching her when he, himself, was still completely clothed? They would connect so much more when they were both undressed. And, why was he not even touching her in the areas she craved him the most?

She had been patient enough. Working with him and being unable to voice her desires was difficult. Lying here still struggling to reach her own fulfillment was just torture. She needed to speak up. In a breathy whisper, she said "Please, Arthur. Don't hold back… I want this….more than you know…"

Those four little words struck a chord with him, "more than you know." Arthur pulled away suddenly leaving Ariadne guessing what she had done. It was a simple confession, but the implications were enormous. She wanted him...badly. She had thought about them together before. But was that really so bad? He had too, but he had never imagined she might feel the same. Suddenly, a new kind of pressure was added to their relationship. Now he had to worry about not disappointing her romantically, and that was too much after everything that had just happened. What would Cobb have said about all this?

Cobb would have told him to do what he thought was right, to follow his instincts. Problem was, his instincts were conflicting. His body was telling him to fall into bed with Ariadne, but his brain kept screaming at him to stop. Getting into a relationship with a coworker is dangerous, especially in their line of work. No matter how in control you think you are, things can get out of hand in an instant. That was a lesson he learned the hard way from watching Cobb and Mal.

At first he broke the kiss as he processed all the thoughts spinning around his head, but soon that wasn't enough. He needed more space to think. He turned away from her and sat up at the edge of the bed once more, returning to the position he had assumed when his partner had first left the shower.

Ariadne didn't know how to respond. This whole experience was so different from anything she'd been through before. It was her first time in a hotel with man she wasn't related to. It was the first time she'd ever been with anyone she worked with. It was the first time where she had wanted this so strongly both physically and emotionally at the same time. Arthur pulling away was not easy to swallow.

She wished she had never opened her mouth, but there was no turning back now. All she could do was move forward. She gathered her courage, and asked "Is something wrong?"

There was a pause as the man before her began to form sentences. "I don't think we should be doing this." His words were quiet, but the message was clear. While they were both attracted to each other, he didn't feel the same. Ariadne's attachment to him was stronger than his, and her confession had scared him off.

She fetched the discarded towel from the floor, and covered herself once more. Ariadne collected herself at the head of bed as Arthur sat motionless at the foot. Covering up helped.

Arthur made a quick glance back at her. His face strained. Without another word, he quietly got up and went into the bathroom that had not fully aired out. The shower started a moment later and Ariadne realized that was the end of it. He was off cooling down, and she should do the same.

She put on some sleeping clothes and tucked in for the night. When Arthur left the bathroom, he a speech fully prepared about how none of this was her fault, but he couldn't allow it to happen. He'd learned first-hand that these kinds of relationships never pan-out.

But his speech was never delivered. He found Ariadne asleep in bed by the time he'd reentered the room. There was no way to be sure if she was truly asleep or just faking, but he decided to leave it alone. They'd already been through so much. She was in no state to receive a sermon tonight.

Arthur sighed, releasing a fraction of the tension he'd been unable to shake in the shower. He decided the only course of action left for the night would be to get back into bed and sleep for a few more hours. He was tired, and he needed to be awake if he was to drive tomorrow.

He quietly went around turning off all the lights in the room before climbing into bed next to the young woman he'd selfishly pushed away. He gave her a small kiss on the forehead, and quietly apologized for his behavior. He then flipped over onto his side, and fell asleep. Everything would be better in the morning.

Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over
But had me believing it was always something that I'd done
But I don't wanna live that way
Reading into every word you say
You said that you could let it go
And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know

The pair set off to Phoenix shortly after the sun rose the next morning. Silence filled the car. Neither of them wanted to speak to the other after the incident the night before. Arthur was too ashamed and Ariadne was too hurt by his rejection. Thinking about it was difficult enough. It would be impossible to formulate their thoughts and emotions into words. Any attempt would surely be disastrous, so they decided not to speak at all.

Shortly before arriving at the airport, Arthur stopped the car at a gas station and went inside. When he returned, he announced that he intended to sell the car. They were almost to the airport, and they no longer needed it. Arthur explained that he would find a place that accepted broken-down old buckets, and they would sell it. From there, they would take a cab to the airport.

Without waiting for Ariadne's response to this plan, he set off down a main road. He made a few precise turns, like he knew where he was going. They found a junkyard shortly afterwards. Arthur must have asked the cashier at the gas station for directions before he set off.

When they arrived, the couple was greeted by an old man wearing a mechanic's jumpsuit named Randy. Arthur greeted Randy with his usual charming demeanor. This greatly upset Ariadne. Why wasn't he acting this way towards her? She knew it was most likely because he felt uncomfortable after what happened. But this cold-shoulder routine was starting to get to her.

Arthur and Randy settled on a price for the car very quickly. It would go for $1500. Once the paperwork was settled, Randy called a taxi. The cab driver picked them up in record time, and dropped them off at the check in desk before departing. Arthur and Ariadne grabbed their bags and went inside. On the far wall they found a giant television screen that displayed all the departing flights within the next few hours. There were flights to every major city in the US.

Ariadne deliberated where she would go from here. She didn't want to stay in the States; it hadn't felt like home in years. She wanted to go someplace she felt safe.

The brunette turned to the man beside her, his eyes still hooked onto the screens ahead. He looked as though he was contemplating what to do next as well. Ariadne knew he must have some place in mind, but he hadn't shared his plans with her. After the way things had gone last night, she didn't think he'd be very likely to share them now either.

Ariadne sighed. Men are supposed to be simple creatures, but they still have this crazy, innate ability to create chaos. Ariadne had had just about enough of this. She was tired from lack of sleep, confused after her encounter with Arthur, concerned for her safety after the way the Fischer job ended. The whirlwind of emotions inside her was off the charts.

The best thing for her to do would be to go find that safe place. Ariadne knew that she would need to ask Arthur. She sighed heavily and prepared for a negative response. "Can I go back to Paris? I never did finish my degree."

Arthur furrowed his brow, though his eyes never left the screen in front of him. "I don't see why not." He quietly plotted her route. "If you take a flight to Atlanta or New York, you can catch a plane to Paris from there." Gentleness had returned to his voice, and it had unmasked. He wasn't being silent to punish her, she could see that now.

"Okay." His tone was melting all the bad things away. She felt an overwhelming need to apologize for what happened last night. She knew it wasn't her fault, neither was it his. It was just one of those awkward moments that happen occasionally. Still, standing beside him now felt difficult and it made her want to run away. She didn't like that. She wanted things to be as they were.

Unsure what to do, she walked off towards the ticket counter. He followed only a few paces behind. "Would you like me to help you book your tickets?" he asked. Ariadne looked up at him. She wasn't a child, but she didn't think that was his implication. His face was a little redder than she remembered it being a few seconds ago. Perhaps he was starting to get over their little incident.

The truth was that Arthur felt terribly for the way he behaved the night before. It was a true demonstration of what not to do when alone with a woman, especially one you have feelings for. Playing hot and cold was the perfect way to drive her away, and that's exactly what he'd done. Hearing that she wants to go thousands of miles away only solidified that fact.

"No that's alright. Thank you, though." Ariadne turned back to the attendant behind the ticket counter. She placed her order, paid, and checked her bag. Arthur stood behind her in line all the while.

Ticket in hand, she turned round to face him once again. It was time to say goodbye, and neither of them were ready. Some of the words he'd prepared for his apology the night before came back to him, but he kept them to himself. He knew it was too late now. The things he wanted to say were too personal to be said at the airport ticketing counter.

Unsure how to react, he switched on his professional side. Ariadne, at the end of the day, was a colleague. He stretched out his hand and wished her a safe flight. She accepted it, and went on her way without saying anything else.

That was the last thing that happened between them. Two years had passed since then, and now here she was, standing on a road in Paris thinking she had just seen somebody that she used to know.

Ariadne returned from her memory and snapped back to what she was doing. She saw him on the street, exploring the city on one of her last days in Paris. He was here, and she was going to find him. She had to. She wanted to run to him, but the road was too crowded. Damn tourist season!

She approached the alley as fast as she could and turned down it. But she did not find him. If Arthur had been there, he must be the world's best escape artist. The walls were too high to climb, especially in one of his suits, and there were no open doors or windows to go through. He couldn't be hiding behind anything either as the inlet was empty. There was no way he was there.

Had she really seen him? Had she imagined the whole thing? Had she dreamt it? At that thought Ariadne pulled her totem from her pocket. She needed to know. Crouching down on the ground, she placed the chess piece on the cobblestone and knocked it over. The piece fell exactly as it should. She was not dreaming, so it must have been a mistake. The man she saw wasn't Arthur.

Ariadne sighed and decided to move on with the rest of her day. This detour had only proved something that she had been avoiding; she missed him. Despite the horrible way they parted, she wanted to see him again. Apparently she wanted to see him so badly that she imagined seeing him in the streets of Paris. Of all the places in the world for them to meet, a random street corner in Paris was just too farfetched. He was much more likely to appear at her school or apartment. He should still know where those are. She hadn't moved since before the Fischer job.

Nonetheless, Ariadne carried on. She walked through the winding streets for another hour. She grew tired of exploring the city and decided the best thing to do from here would be to go back to apartment. She found the nearest Metro station, and arrived at her apartment 20 minutes later.

She unlocked to door, walked in and threw her bag down on the floor. As she walked further into her apartment, she smelled familiar cologne. The smell was faint, but there was no denying its presence. She would recognize it anywhere; it was his cologne. He must have walked through this part of her apartment just moments before.

Ariadne fought a strong urge to run through her apartment looking for him to see if he was still there, but she didn't want to seem that desperate. Ariadne gathered her courage. She walked slowly towards the back of her apartment, looking for him as she went. When she neared the kitchen, she heard footsteps. There was no mistaking it now; she wasn't alone. Cautiously she walked around the corner and saw him sitting there at her kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee.

She stared at him for a few moments, not entirely sure how to proceed. "I thought I saw you earlier."

"On Rue de Paradis?" He smirked before adding, "You turned too late, walked right past me."

Ariadne let out a short laugh. She thought she had been dreaming. Lo and behold, she just had a bad sense of direction. "How did you get in?" she asked.

"It's my job to be able to blend in and get in anywhere," he teased. His confidence flustered her. She wasn't expecting him to be so coy when they met once more.

There were so many things she wanted to ask. Where had he been? What had he been up to for the last few years? She chewed on her words. As if things hadn't changed at all, he recognized her situation. Always the gentleman, he took the first step when she fumbled.

"I am sorry for barging in." His tone had changed; he was much more sincere now. This sounded like the Arthur she dreamed of when she remembered their departure in the airport. "I was in town on a job and I wanted to check in, see how you were doing… mostly, I… I just wanted to apologize for the way I acted when we last saw each other."

His honesty was affecting her. Emotions ran over anything cool she might have thought up. "You don't have anything to be sorry for. It was my fault. If I hadn't ... attacked you like that..."

"Ariadne, please," he interrupted. "Don't be sorry for that. It was what we both wanted. I just didn't know how to handle it at the time."

It suddenly became difficult to breathe. He really had wanted her? She hadn't been imagining his desire in the motel? It had all been so brief, and it seemed so much smaller as the years passed.

"Then why did you push me away?" He knew it was only a matter of time before she asked this, but he wasn't expecting it so soon and so bluntly. He cringed slightly before continuing.

"I was thinking how if we went any further, we wouldn't be able to stop. One thing would lead to another, and then you would want to come with me in the morning. The life I lead is so uncertain – any day could be your last. Cobb's death only solidified that for me. You were so young. How could I pull you away from everything and ask you to follow me into such danger?"

Ariadne thought. It was nice to know that he had acted in her best interest, but at the same time, she was annoyed by it. "That wasn't your decision to make. I may have been young, but I was perfectly able to take care of myself. You have to let me make those choices on my own."

"I know. I just did what I thought was right." Something in his voice was more exasperated than Ariadne would have liked. What started off as a great reunion now felt like a scolding.

"So what is it that you're doing now? Because, this doesn't really seem like an apology." The tension between them flared. Arthur stood from the kitchen table and fastened his jacket buttons. It was a classic tactic when you're in the middle of a difficult conversation– be on the same level. Either both stand or both sit. Her standing in the doorway gave her an unfair advantage, and he needed to regain his footing.

"I'm here to ask if you would come back to work," he said much too calmly. "I have a job lined up, and there's an opening for an architect."

She looked down at her feet once more. "I see. So, this is strictly a professional visit?" Ariadne tried to keep a cool voice, but there was no hiding her disappointment. She had hoped…

"Not entirely," he whispered. Her eyes shot up to his. He crossed the rest of the kitchen in a few short steps and said, "I also wanted to do this." He kissed her once more, just as he had in that little motel room outside Phoenix. She responded with equal force, pulling him closer. There was nothing else that could have felt better in that moment than having him back in her life, here, like this.

They continued, unable to move away. Passion and relief overwhelmed the young couple. They finally had what they both wanted. As the moments passed, a micrometer of space appeared between their lips, and Ariadne clutched onto him harder to prevent him from going away. She reached up to kiss his one more, but he spoke instead.

"Relationships… between coworkers don't always go well, but I want to give it a try. I want to be with you. Leaving you was impossibly difficult, but staying away was so much worse. I had to stop myself from coming to Paris every day for the last two years. Being without you made me understand what I'd lost. It made me understand that I need you with me. So Ariadne, will you please come with me? I've never wanted anything as badly as I want this."

Now you're just somebody that I used to know
Now you're just somebody that I used to know

This confession was earth-shattering. She thought about his proposal for a few seconds before realizing this was exactly what she wanted. She loved being an architect, and the ability to create in the dreamworld was unparalleled. School was over, and if she went with him, she would no longer have to worry about where she would move from here. She could travel the world, and experience new things every day. Bust most importantly, they would be together. They had an opportunity to start anew, and she didn't want anything else.

She stretched up to kiss him again, too happy to do anything else. The passion returned. Unable to pull away this time, they tumbled backwards through the apartment, searching for something soft to fall onto. Clothes were ripped off until there was nothing left. Fabric landed haphazardly on the ground as they tumbled onto the bed. They drowned in each other, finally fulfilling their fantasies.

When they were both completely spent, Arthur pulled her close. He smiled and asked if this meant she would go with him. She giggled at his question, like anything could stop her now.

AN: The End! I hope you liked it. Feel Free to submit a review.